The Chicago Bulls and the Brooklyn Nets will face off in a matinee matchup on Sunday afternoon. Both teams have battled injuries throughout the season, with Kyrie Irving (shoulder) remaining sidelined and Garrett Temple (ankle) also out for Brooklyn. For the Bulls, Zach LaVine (quad) and Ryan Arcidiacono (Achilles) are questionable for Sunday’s matchup.
Tip-off is at 3 p.m. ET at the Barclays Center. Sportsbooks list the Nets as 6.5-point home favorites, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 220.5 in the latest Bulls vs. Nets odds. Before you make any Nets vs. Bulls picks or NBA predictions, see what SportsLine’s advanced computer model has to say.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, and it’s already returned almost $4,000 in profit on all top-rated NBA picks during the 2019-20 season. It also entered Week 20 a blistering 49-31 on all top-rated NBA spread picks this season. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Bulls vs. Nets. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines and trends for Nets vs. Bulls:
- Bulls vs. Nets spread: Nets -6.5
- Bulls vs. Nets over-under: 220.5 points
- Bulls vs. Nets money line: Nets -279, Bulls +223
- CHI: The Bulls are 3-6 against the spread in their last nine games
- BKN: The Nets are 3-4 against the spread in their last seven games
Why the Bulls can cover
The model knows that the Bulls are a solid defensive team, allowing only 110.1 points per 100 possessions in an NBA landscape that greatly favors offense. Chicago is the NBA’s best team at forcing turnovers, creating a giveaway on 17.8 percent of possessions, and that havoc helps to increase the team’s overall effectiveness.
On the offensive side, rookie guard Coby White has been on fire in recent weeks, and Chicago will need that to continue. White is averaging 27.7 points per game in his last seven appearances. The Bulls are also very good on the offensive glass, securing 25.6 percent of their own missed shots, and those second-chance opportunities will be crucial against Brooklyn.
Why the Nets can cover
The model also realizes that Brooklyn is a very stout team on the defensive side, with the Nets ranking in the top-10 in points allowed per possession. The Nets do an excellent job contesting shots, resulting in a top-five mark in shooting efficiency allowed. Brooklyn is also quite good in other defensive areas, with top-10 marks in both defensive rebounding and free throw avoidance. In this matchup, the Nets are also facing a strongly below-average offense, with the Bulls entering Sunday as a bottom-five team in scoring efficiency.
Offensively, Brooklyn hasn’t lit the world on fire this season, but the Nets are an elite team in offensive rebounding, grabbing 27.2 percent of their misses. Those extra chances could help boost the team’s offense in a favorable overall matchup.
How to make Bulls vs. Nets picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning under on the total, with LaVine and Spencer Dinwiddie projected to fall short of their scoring averages. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations.
So who wins Bulls vs. Nets? And which side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the Nets vs. Bulls spread you need to jump on Sunday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
